Unsolicited advice
by ScottyBgood
Summary: Ever notice how sometimes, our elders feel the need to offer some advice on our relationships,even when we don't want it? Jade's grandmother has her share of insights, appropriate for our goths family, that Jade just isn't ready to hear. Thoughts on who she should date, or love, and what to do about a crush on a certain Latina she won't admit too. But will Jade hear?


I started writing this cause I wanted a Halloween story, but it didn't turn out as such. Still, hope you enjoy it.

I don't own Victorious or any of the characters used, save Jocelyn, who I made up as I went.

:}

Jade sighed as she made her way into her home, watching warily as Joselyn Leary, her grandmother, drifted up to her. It seemed that today, her home wasn't going to be so much a sanctuary from her feelings as the next battleground. "So, that was your crush, huh? Something Vega, right? Well, I like her a lot more then that boy you were seeing." The old woman said, smiling a saccharin sweet smile. Jade was now regretting letting Tori, or rather her sister, give her a ride while her car was in the shop.

"Beck and me, we're not done yet." Jade started to protest. 'Not this again...' She dreaded the oncoming discussion, despite her love and respect for this woman who'd been on her side as long as she could remember.

"Darling please." Her grandmother sighed, waving a dismissive hand at the goth. "Jadelyn, darling, that boy was nothing but a placeholder. I told you that, like last week." She gave an amused look, confirming the girl had heard before continuing. "He was a placeholder for until you found someone you could love. And guess what? Now you have. See, it's not the end of romance for you, now that pretty boy is starting to move on. Instead, it's motivation, a sign that you should too." Blue eyes mirrored into hers, only the older ones shown with a warmth often lacking in the pale girls life. "Plus, I've seen how you look at her. That's love, darling. Love, or a deep infatuation. Either way, I like seeing you feeling this way. Almost happy, in a dreading, vulnerable kind of way. It gives me hope that you're ready to be loved."

"I thought your generation wasn't into this whole same sex love thingy." Jade knew it was a deflection, and not a great one, but the last thing she needed was her mother's mother trying to fix her up with Tori Vega.

"Baby, I came of age in the wild sixties." Josilyn said, smiling at the girls attempt. "I mean, sure, many of us weren't as wild as the movies, or the film clips from the times, make it seem, but we had more then our share of free love and experimentation. Drugs, sex, we tried things. Baby girl, I'm talking from experience, as a heart breaker who was good at telling when people were digging one another, that girl could be the one for you. You just need to accept that, as much as you loved good hair boy, he's never gonna make you feel comfortable. This girl will help you feel comfortable in your own love."

"I thought love was about the drama." Jade argued.

"First, I've seen you with this girl, and there's drama." The older woman started, smirking at darkly familiar smirk at the girl. "Second, if a relationship is just drama, then that's more damaging then anything else. You won't be happy, just hurting, worrying about what the other person is gonna do next. In anything healthy, the drama has to end, or at least become more comfortable. If not, all we get is the drama, and the aftereffects. I know this, from personal experience. After all, there's a reason your mother used my maiden name before she married your dad." She looked off into the distance for a second, as if now she could right a mistake she made years ago, if she could just finally figure things out. "Never could figure out who her father was."

"Please, enough." Jade almost begged. "Gran, I appreciate that your trying to help out, I really do, but do you have to make me feel so uncomfortable?"

Josey smiled. "I've been beyond caring about what other people think for a while now, and let me tell you, as long as it's not gonna get you killed, I highly recommended it. That whole giving a damn thing, it's so high school."

"I'M IN HIGH SCHOOL!" Jade roared, unable to contain her frustrating. Moments later, she regretted the outburst. "Sorry, shouldn't have yelled. It's just, you can be so frustrating sometimes." Inside, she was more upset that her mother probably wasn't home to care about the emotional detonation. 'I swear, I could be killed, and no one would find the body for days...'

"I care about you, baby." The old woman repeated, trying to drive home the meta-message that someone loved the girl. "I've been looking out for you your entire life, watching out for you, making sure someone was there who cared. I've never complained, because I want you to be happy. Plus. Unlike your mother, or that father of yours who keeps ignoring me, I've known about your proclivities since you were in middle school." A wide smile crossed her face. "That way you used to watch the cheerleaders. If looks could undress, they'd have been performing naked."

"I don't need the reminder." Jade had to concentrate not to blush, even as her cheeks reddened. Surrendering to the embarrassment, she relaxed into it, then turned to trying to end the gentle torment. "Gran, please, can we just drop this. I..." She shook her head. "I know your trying to help, but your help almost got me committed, more then once. Sometimes, I think it's better if I just let things be. Maybe take mom's advice, and.."

"NO!" Josey snapped. "Not yet, not ever. I have so much left to teach you. I'm not going away. Not until I'm sure you no longer need me, no mater how crazy you think I make you feel." The harshness vanished from her voice. "Plus, it's not crazy to take wisdom from those who've already paid a price for it. Save you some heartbreak down the road."

"And I appreciate it." Jade told her almost too quickly, but meaning it with all her heart. "I really do. I use what I can, when I can, but I'm much more of a, um, opinionated person then you were…." Her mind raced for the right words.

"While I do love that you can speak your mind, no one should take pride in being a bitch." Jocelyn lectured. "Baby girl, I accepted you needed time, needed to figure these things out for yourself. But times running out, as far as this relationship is concerned, and as I said, this one, she feels like a keeper. You have any idea how rare it is to find 'the one' at your age? How about a potential 'the one'? Not fricking likely, that's how rare it is, and it's hard to recognize even if you do find one. In fact, it's almost impossible, cause what people in your situation, at your age, are often feeling is so rarely love. No, usually it's puppy love, or infatuation, or you're too young to know what you want, or to be responsible for being with someone else. People get blinded by the drama, the hurting and worrying and fretting about will they like me or not dreck, and don't focus on getting to know the other person enough to know if they like that boy, or girl, or whatever, enough to last. No, cause normally it takes time, and kids like you, even older, just don't understand that they have to put in the time to know for sure."

"I was with Beck for three years." Jade countered.

"But you were mired in the drama." The old woman shot back, proud f her prepared counter. "Little girl, I've been there, been through all of this, and I know. Plus, I've been watching you, the way you act around your friends, around her. The way she acts around you. This girl, that Vega girl, I think you and her have the right stuff, the key ingredients that time and patients can turn into love. After all, we can grow apart or grow to love someone so deeply. I think you two have the potential to make it the deeper, comforting love." She chuckled. "I remember what an achievement it was when we put a man on the moon. Amazing how far we've come since that accomplishment. I mean, now, in many states, girls can marry girls, and that's good, cause you're never gonna be happy with a guy."

"Really?" Jade groaned. 'She had to go the long way, didn't she? Sometimes, Gran gets so distracted. Still, she gets to the point, no mater how much I wish she wouldn't.'

"Trust in granny." The old woman said. "I seduced my share of young ladies, because I knew I could enjoy their charms, but was unlikely to fall in love. I guess I was kinda a bitch in my youth." A dark chuckle echoed out from her throat. "Proof that there are multiple ways to be a bitch. Think there are as many as fifty, cause then I can adapt that song..." Her eyes shown with mischief.

"Granny, please." Jade begged. "Now I wish mom would get home, just to end this discussion. You made your point, so please, can we just drop it?"

"Like your mother getting home would stop our little chats." Josey said. "My daughter long ago came to accept that I'm hanging around here for a reason, and I'm gonna have a hand in the raising of my grandchildren. And since she's okay with me being around, and I am such a big part of your life, maybe you shouldn't be so upset that I'm one of the many people who want to support you, give you the love and support you so desperately need in your life, and focus on the real problem. See, I wanna meet her, this Vega girl. Talk to her face to face, accept her into the family, with all our unique particularities. Which I understand will cause certain difficulties..." Another pause as she sought the right words.

"Certain difficulties?' Jade asked, her mid reeling around the one secret to her relationship with her mothers side of the families pushed back to the forefront. "Your saying it's gonna be difficult, just because you've been dead for the last fifteen or so years maybe? Is that what will make things difficult? Is that the minor problem you're talking about?" Jade wanted to pace, but it felt odd, since the ghost would pace her, seeming not to move, even as her perspective world shift with her movement. "And so far, as far as we know, I'm the only member of the family who can see and talk to you, like that lame character Jenifer Love Hewitt played int hat show you liked so much."

"The ghost Whisperer?" Josey asked. "Loved that show. Not the most realistic show, but still, it was so nice to watch. Solid entertainment. You should buy the DVD set, so I have something to do while you're at school."

"You and your television." Jade griped.

"So, how're you gonna introduce me to this Tori Vega, given I'm not exactly visible to the naked eye." She gave her granddaughter a stern, expecting look. "Well, to you, I am. But even your mother just kinda feels me when I'm around. I wish she found some way to at least hear me without going int that deep trance, so we could talk more often. It's a pain leaving her notes. Which reminds me, more pads, please. You're mother is dating again, and I need to give her my opinion of this one, assuming you don't wanna at as translator." The old woman shook her head, shedding years like she often did when she was done being grandmotherly. "So, now that we've got that worked out, just how will we make it so your future wife knows I'm around? Lord knows I have loads of time to kill. It's why your mother put that television in your room, so I'd have something to watch while you were at school. Plus, she got the Encore suite, which is good, cause I have no idea how anyone could love those horror movies as much as you do. So, how will you help me introduce myself to your girl, let her now I'm around, maybe give her some well earned advice on how to survive as a young couple?"

"You're planning on haunting her, aren't you?" Jade groaned. "Just, please, don't bring up that ghost from Angel."

"Phantom Dennis was proof that having a ghost in the house is a good thing." Josey stated. "Show her some reruns of that show, let her know that I'm a boon to have around, and I respond to conversation when I'm around. That way, we can start bonding, and if we're lucky, then like your mother, she can eventually learn to sense me when I'm about. Maybe she'll go further, and we'll have us some good talks. I wanna know this girl is gonna respect the past, cause you, my dear, come with a lot of it."

"Gran, please." Jade said, sounding tired. "If, and I do mean if, Vega and me started dating, we'd have a ways to go before I'm ready to introduce her to most of your side of my family. She only knows my dad cause she helped me show him my talents as a writer, back when she helped me put on 'Well Wishes.' I suspect I'm gonna want to wait a bit before introducing her to the dead side of the family."

"That would be some party." The grandmother cooed. "I think there's upwards of sixty of us hanging around, or withing easy communication distance. So if you really want her to meet all of us…."

"Later, once she stops thinking I'm crazy." Jade growled.

"Like we have that much time." Jocelyn joked. "Baby girl, go get your girl. Then, when the time's right, we'll introduce ourselves."

"Fine!" Jade snapped. "Just, keep your distance, haunt me, but not her. That way, I can at least get her too invested in us to want to just leave us. Maybe then, after, she'll come back after she discovers just how messed up my family is, and goes running, screaming, into the night."

"So we're agreed, you're going to ask her out, right?" The old woman asked. Only now, she appeared to be in her twenties, dressed as a flower child, in blue denim and a yellow men's button up shirt. "I promise to make a good impression."

"Like you did with my dad?" Jade wondered.

"Took us years to get your mother to stop taking those drugs." Jocelyn sighed. "Anti-psychotics can be such a drag. Only, we aren't, and never were, hallucination. Drugs don't make us go away, they just help convince people they're crazy, and we don't exist. I'm just glad your mom, my baby girl, understood enough to believe you, so you only turned out somewhat messed up."

Jade wasn't listening, already out the door. By the time she'd finished making her call to Andre to scare up a ride, she'd finally realized she'd given in again. 'Damn that old woman, now I have to date Vega, or I'll never hear the end of this...'

:}

So, thoughts? I think it's sweet that one whole side of Jade's family love her so much as to keep watching after her long past their deaths, but that's just me. Too bad there's just nothing Halloweenish about this story, cause I wanted that, but you know me, I don't really write horror, or monster stories. Still, hope you enjoyed this bit of family drama.


End file.
